SUMMARY, AUGUST 25-31, 2008

Daily Quote: "Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential." --Liane Cardes

I somehow managed to stay consistent throughout my vacation and ran all seven days! Yesterday, Saturday, was a Recovery Run of six miles. We later drove to Whiskey Pete's Hotel and Casino in Primm as my wife scored two free tickets for the Bill Cosby show!! Cosby's a spry 71 year old and gave a great 90 minute concert.

Today was a General Aerobic Run:

General Aerobic Run, Progressive, 9 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 5 miles at 6.6 mph (pace, 9:06 minute miles) and last 4 miles at 6.7 mph (pace, 8:57 minute miles.) Average heart rate: 145 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 149 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) I increased both mileage and speed from last week's General Aerobic Run with no problems, hopefully I didn't overdue the effort as tomorrow is my Long Run.

Later we visited Mary & Glenn's family for a huge BBQ feast. As usual, I ate too much.

SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 25-31, 2008

I finished my last week of Base Training for the year and ran 71 miles, the highest weekly mileage this year! I was on vacation, but managed to run all seven days, which was easy to accomplish as I was able to have plenty of rest and recovery. Tomorrow I'll start my 2008 Las Vegas Marathon training, which will be roughly based on the training schedules from the book, "Advanced Marathoning" by Pfitzinger and Douglas.

I gained three pounds on vacation. I guess I enjoyed my vacation too much! I'm now 176 pounds on a six foot frame. My goal is to reach 165 pounds before the marathon on December 7th, it's a doable goal as I'll be increasing my mileage even higher during the upcoming weeks.

I was only able to accomplish two weight circuit sessions last week as most days I was out of town. I hope to return to three sessions next week. I still plan on doing my weight circuit sessions immediately after work.

I easily managed 7-8 hours of sleep every night as I was on vacation and my morning heart rate have remained low, 38-43 bpm. I feel totally rested and relaxed, haven't felt this refreshed in months! Next few weeks will be a challenge on getting enough rest as I increase my mileage and still work 12-hour days.

A short recap of last week's runs:
Monday: Long Run, 20 miles (in Vegas on the treadmill before we left for Mesquite.)
Tuesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, out & back from the Casablanca.)
Wednesday: General Aerobic Run with Fartleks, 8 miles (on the trail next to the Mesquite Wash.)
Thursday: Recovery Run, 6 miles (on the roads, again out & back from the Casablanca.)
Friday: Medium-Long Run, Progressive, 16 miles. (Back in Vegas, treadmill)
Saturday: Recovery run, 6 miles (treadmill.)
Sunday: General Aerobic Run, 9 miles (treadmill).
Total weekly mileage: 71 miles